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🚗 A short trip 👋 A playful farewell 🐢 To move slowly
to toodle

to toodle

1 8.6
To travel slowly without a fixed plan for pleasure
  • verb
  • /ˈtuːdəl/
  • UK
: pasear
  • When she saw Jane and me waiting for her, her fingers toodled goodbye and she broke into a sort of run, a mother's trot, elbows digging into her ribs and hands flapping aimlessly.

And I would make a little espresso and I would toodle out and be like, oh whim, you know, good morning.

Examples

  • The last was a science fiction short story by James P. Hogan before he toodled off into Velikovskianism.

    Blog text (3)

  • Jan is out toodling, and the guys decided to embark on an adventure of their own over to Bandelier National Monument.

    Blog text (13)

  • And I would make a little espresso and I would toodle out and be like, oh whim, you know, good morning.

    André Duqum

  • Now, shouldn't you be toodling off back to pizza base camp?

    Kid Cannabis (2014)

  • Heard you had a spot of rabbit bother and toodled on over to sort the blighters out.

    Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

  • Ed's big old Mercedes is toodling down the freeway at a rate well below the speed limit.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • He did tell me that the bicycles took a soak the night I left them, but Enda Connolly had salvaged them the next week, and his kids were already toodling down the Norfolk Road.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • We decided to toodle around the park this afternoon to enjoy the nice weather.

  • She spent the day toodling along the beach, collecting shells and soaking up the sun.

  • After lunch, he likes to toodle through the streets, exploring new shops and cafes.

Synonyms

to tootle along
vsto toodle
  • UK
1 7.9

To go slowly and enjoy the journey

is done slowly and mainly for pleasure rather than only for transport
to tootle around
vsto toodle
  • UK
8.4

To travel slowly without a clear plan

is done for pleasure while moving slowly without a set goal
to tootle
vsto toodle
  • Informal
6.8

To move or travel slowly without a plan

is more about slow, aimless movement done for simple pleasure

Antonyms

to hurry
∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

to rush
548 1.0

To move or act quickly because a situation needs it

Idioms

toodle pip
  • Archaic
9.9

A cheerful informal way to say goodbye

How Fast

to run
∞ 1.0
to walk
∞ 1.0
to toodle
  • UK
1 8.6
to amble
15 4.8
to dawdle
17 5.0
to crawl
406 1.0

Surface Forms

toodle infinitive
toodled past
toodled past participle
toodling present participle
toodles third person singular

Etymology

Toodle as a verb comes from the same playful root as tootle and toot, words that suggest a light, easy action, so to toodle is to move or travel slowly and pleasantly with no fixed plan.